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COORDINATORS: Lori Rastelli & Colin Williamson ADVISORS: Deborah Grossmith, Lori Rastelli & Colin Williamson

WHAT A YEAR IT HAS BEEN!!!

Greetings!!! It is with great pleasure that we share our learning

accomplishments, memories and gratitude from the 2016-2017 Peer

Leadership experience! Peer Leadership develops the leadership skills of

high school seniors while teaching them to provide outreach for freshmen

that focus on: building relationships, fostering collaboration, increasing

self-confidence, developing problem solving skills and acquiring decision

making strategies. To that end, Peer Leadership seeks to achieve three

outcomes: improved communication with our peers, teachers and families

with an appreciation for people from different backgrounds; increased

confidence in fulfilling academic and social responsibilities; enhanced

leadership skills and the ability to identify and solve problems. Peer

Leadership is a significant responsibility and opportunity for all who

participate. An essential part of this program includes improving self-

awareness so that as individuals we may lead the best life and as a

community we may reach our highest potential. We hope you enjoy

learning more about this program that has become such an integral part of

our lives and school.

Deborah Grossmith, Lori Rastelli and Colin Williamson

Somerville High School

Peer Leadership Press

2016-2017

June 2017

Inside This Issue…

8th Grade Mixer…3

Summer Retreat…4-7

Five Stages of Group

Formation…8

Freshmen Application &

Draft…9

What is Breakout All

About?...10-11

Haunted High School…12

Middle Earth Outreach…13

Green Dot Training…14

Red Ribbon Day…15-16

BCMS Skits…16-17

Winter Retreat…18-19

Freshmen Field Day...19-20

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2016-2017 Peer Leaders

Period 5 – Mr. Williamson

Charles Chirackal, Katelyn Haenny & Claire Marshak

Sarah Coulson & Nicole Zangara

Tyler Garcia & Grace Gioia

Kaitlin Glick & Kayla Vuoso

Matthew Nekoui & Beatriz Tomale

Matthew Mineo & Paige Morgan

Meredith Kolodney & Joshua Nemeth

Period 6 – Mrs. Rastelli

AJ Akins & Elaina Murnane

Meghan Crum & Zach Guberer

Luke Genise & Eden Zaleski

Scott Hand & Emily Helm

Kaeley Ipson & Robert McTernan

Sean Kunz & Maddie Spolarich

Annabelle Madamba & Natalie Tews

Brendan Marino & Olivia Markowski

Period 7 – Mrs. Grossmith

Michael Richardson & Alexis Ciarletta

Kyle McCormick & Emily Quick

Jason Curau & Emily Antico

Juan Galindo & Lila Tiner

Maranda Kania & Kim Ferrara

Matt Monaco & Kelcey Sheeley

James Liu & Katie Hegadorn

Tyler Leeds & Taylor Geiger

A Look Into the Program…

Our official program year begins as the summer retreat where, with the assistance of leadership guides from

East Stroudsburg University, we lay the foundation for training a new group of student leaders. The students

arrive at Stony Acres facility with more questions than answers but soon learn how to work cohesively together

to form single unit through teambuilding exercises. The most exciting part of the Peer Leadership program is

witnessing the amazing transformation our Peer Leaders undergo throughout the course of the year. All of

the uncertainties and inhibitions they possess at the beginning are cultivated into stronger interpersonal,

collaboration, problem solving and leadership skills. Their confidence and self-awareness is magnified

throughout this maturation. We find as Program Advisors, we also experience learning by engaging with our

students and seeing the world through their eyes. They hold the key to success in coping with life as an

adolescent in today’s world. No one understands the challenges of being a youth better than they do. Having

this knowledge is essential to provide an effective transitional program for the freshmen student body. We

learn and grow together as a team.

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Mixing it Up at SHS By: Scott Hand, Meghan Crum, Emily Helm, AJ Akins

The annual mixer for the incoming freshmen of Somerville High School took place on June 8th,

2017. It was a fun-filled day for the kids as they met the people that they would be spending their next four years of high school with. The purpose of the day was to mesh the two populations of Somerville and Branchburg in preparation for the time they would be spending together at Somerville High School, and you could see the excitement on every eighth grader’s face as they got off of the bus and walked through the field house gates. The students were divided into groups and assigned to the Peer Leaders of 2017 and 2018 and a member of the cultural diversity club, and then were off to the track. Icebreaker activities were conducted by the Peer Leaders all around the track, and included games like the name game, the human knot, “I like people who” and many others. Once everyone was comfortable in their groups and got to know each other, the kids were directed into the auditorium. Inside, the incoming freshmen sat in their groups with their leaders and watched a skit presentation from Dr. Michael "Mykee" Fowlin. Dr. Fowlin put on an inspiring presentation about accepting diversity and understanding the fact that everyone is different and nobody knows what someone else had been through. At the conclusion of the presentation, each group headed back out to the track for discussion and lunch. Ice cream and water was provided to everyone on the beautiful day. After lunch, everyone had the chance to play more games and mix a bit more, with some neighboring groups conjoining so that the kids could make even more friends.

As it came to the end of the school day, the eighth graders went inside to listen to a few pieces that the band and chorus had put together. There were performances by the Chamber Choir, Men’s Chorus, and Jazz Band, and Mrs. Gorzynski and Mr. Krempasky explained the benefits of joining the music department at SHS. Speeches were given as well from a few of the key administration members at the high school, such as Mr. Mulligan, Director of Guidance, Kyle Franey, Athletic Director, Mr. Foley, Principal, and Mrs. DePace, Curriculum Supervisor. Then the students filed into the courtyard for information about the huge list of extracurricular activities they were eligible to sign up for. The whole point of this event is for the incoming freshmen from both Somerville Middle School and Branchburg Central Middle School to get a small taste of the high school and to meet and interact with the students they will spent the next four years with, and it was a complete success.

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Peer Leadership Summer Retreat

When we first arrived at the retreat, we were excited about our newly held leadership positions. Most of us had leadership positions prior but we did not know what to expect. We got into the groove of working together through a couple of ice breakers. We had not seen each other throughout the summer so we had to learn to trust each other quickly. Later on in the day, our trust in one another was continually challenged through many different activities.

Ropes and Challenge Course By: Matt Mineo and Matthew Nekoui

The first major event in the Peer Leadership program comes in the form of the Peer Leadership Summer Retreat. The rising seniors who have been selected as peer leaders all take part in this overnight, team-building retreat, during which the foundation for the Peer Leadership program is set. This retreat is significant because it is during this time, the seniors learn what class period they are in, select who their co-leader will be, and take part in many team building activities. One of the most memorable and enjoyable activities was the Ropes and Challenge Course.

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The Ropes and Challenge Course consisted of a series of tasks created in order to strengthen and emphasize teamwork and communication among all the seniors. Some of these activities included climbing a wall, climbing a ladder created by large logs suspended between two trees, tight-rope walking, and even zip lining from one tree to another. Not only were these activities difficult, but they were also very fun. The course as a whole taught the seniors to work as a team and

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motivate one another to complete the challenges. These challenges really helped the seniors to communicate and become comfortable with each other as a group. The lessons learned from the Ropes and Challenge Course were very important for the new peer leaders, as they would teach these skills to the incoming freshmen through the next year. As peer leaders, these seniors work with the freshmen to teach them how to deal with issues they may run into during high school. With the skills gained through the Ropes and Challenge Course, the new peer leaders will help the incoming freshmen to form the same type of bond within their group of peers, allowing them to make an easy, enjoyable transition into high school.

Share My Bag By: Sarah Coulson and Nicole Zangara

One of the first group activities as a class is a get to know you game called “Share My Bag”.

In this activity, each person fills a brown paper bag with 5 important things or symbols representing who they are. At first glance this task seems pretty easy, but when you think about it, you question “who am I?” and “what describes me?” After some reflection, we had to share with the group. When the group is together (after a long day of being outside), we sit in a circle and take turns sharing what is in our bags. We explained what each item is and what it means to us. We share if it is a major turning point in life, something sentimental, or something that represents a huge part of our life. Sometimes items sparked more discussion and Peer Leaders are asked to share in more detail. Sharing with the group was a great way to open up conversation and get to know each other, forming a bond within the group. Some items shared included a journal from traveling in Europe, a softball, grandparent’s rosary, toy car, and more. These simple items thought to just be around the house, have much more value to them then they appear. For some of us, sharing certain items was harder than others. We were sharing personal stories with others we truly did not really know, and some were only people we would kid around with during classes. This activity not only helps build trust within the group by breaking down walls to protect ourselves, but also we shared something we would stray away from saying in a normal school setting. We learned things that we would have never known about each other if we did not do this activity.

Participating in this activity was one of the first steps toward breakout. As peer leaders, we had to break down walls within our class of freshmen. We didn’t even know who our freshmen were going to be at the time, but already knew we had to get them to open up to our breakout group. Sharing my bag is a big step towards cohesion and creation of a team bond.

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Co-Leader Selection By: Meredith Kolodney and Claire Marshak

Being a peer leader is all about growing as a leader and role model as well as learning how to work and collaborate with someone else. The co-leader pairs work together all year, so it is important to have a good relationship with your co-leader. Before the process of picking a co-leader, every peer leader spends the day outside doing a variety of ropes courses and team building activities. After these activities, the peer leaders go inside for dinner where the class lists are put out and the co-leader selection begins. The classes eat dinner together, giving everyone the chance to get comfortable and talk with their potential co-leaders. After dinner, the classes separate and discuss things to consider before picking. The advisors explain that your co-leader does not need to be someone you are already friends with; rather it should be someone you will work well with, someone with a similar work ethic and philosophy. The actual selection itself can be a little bit of a challenge. In our case, we were in a class with two pairs of all girl groups, which made the selection process harder. It was important to say what you were thinking and have a voice for yourself to ensure that you would be paired with someone you would work well with and have a good relationship with over the course of the year. This is a long process, in some cases being up to two hours, where the group forms and begins to norm with each other while making difficult decisions. You can see which people are more assertive, which aim to just make sure the group is harmonious, and who has natural leadership skills. The co-leader selection process can even be emotional in some cases, because everybody knows that their co-leader will be an important asset and partner to them in the upcoming school year.

After discussing and making sure everyone is comfortable with who their co-leader is, the pairs get the chance to learn a little bit about one another. There is a co-leader questionnaire that each pair fills out. It asks personality questions to help start the co-leader relationship. The co-leaders must recite what they learned to the rest of the class period and everybody has a chance to get to know each other on a deeper level. It is a nice end to an eventful day.

Picking your co-leader is not the be-all, end-all of the Peer Leadership journey. It is actually just the beginning. For the rest of the year, peer leaders must be able to remain good role models for the school and maintain a strong reputation. They should be involved in the school community and be positive influences for their freshmen. Peer Leadership has been an amazing experience and we would not change it or the co-leader selection process as it strengthens character and teaches us skills that last a lifetime.

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Group Bonfire By: Grace Gioia and Tyler Garcia

As the day came to an end, the peer leaders were exhausted from the many leadership and

team activities they completed throughout the day. After an amazing dinner and well needed showers, they decided to head out and make a bonfire. Everyone gathered their flashlights, sweatshirts, and materials for s'mores then walked to the pit. The group did not anticipate staying outside for so long. The guys began gathering sticks and paper to start the fire, while the girls gathered around and continued to talk with one another. Once the fire got started everyone settled down and started making s'mores. Eventually the side conversations quieted and the group came together. The group started talking about the awesome day that they just experienced, specifically the wall activity. The peer leaders were impressed that they completed the difficult activity. The goal of the activity was to get everyone up and over a ten-foot wall. The group realized that they were successful because everyone worked together and listened to each other's ideas. The circle of about fifty students continued to bond and come together. People stepped out of their comfort zones and told the group about their goals for the upcoming year. A few of the goals mentioned were to have a positive impact on the incoming freshman, keep them engaged throughout the year, and form better relationships with your co-leader. To close out the night, the group began singing campfire songs like bazooka zooka bubblegum. Although everyone was exhausted, it did not stop them from singing and having fun. Ultimately, the bonfire contributed to making the summer retreat a very memorable experience.

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5 Stages of Group Formation By: Emily Antico, Emily Quick, Kyle McCormick, and Jason Curau

Forming

Forming is the first stage of a group. This is the stage in which the group first comes together and everyone is very cautious of their actions. During our first breakout we played ice breaker games to learn each other’s names and interests and to begin establishing relationships with one another. This is a key component in creating a strong and healthy group.

Storming

Storming is the next step in building a strong group. As the group members begin to acclimate with each other, problems can arise as points of view might conflict. In addition, those with stronger opinions might emerge within the group and overpower those who are quieter. In order to move past this stage, leadership in the group must be reaffirmed and questions such as the structure to the group, rules, and responsibilities must be answered.

Norming

The next step in the stages of group is norming. After the group has formed and gotten to know each other, the members become more comfortable. All of the nerves start to vanish and the group begins to realize all of the things they have in common. This phase is also a great time to initiate the rules and expectations that go along with the group. Each member should be aware of how they should act and behave when in a group setting. Everyone should be accustomed to the flow of the group and all of their responsibilities within the group.

Performing

The performing stage is when the group becomes loyal, unified, and supportive of one another. At this stage the group tends to be most productive because the students are comfortable sharing and contributing with the group. The discussions are more elaborate as well as a result. When our groups reached the performing stage it allowed us to have more expansive conversations and it allowed us to really understand how the groups felt about the topics being presented to them.

Mourning / Morning

This is the final stage of group. It is where the group finally moves on and no longer meets together. This is a bittersweet time because, while they are no longer getting together in a group after a long time, they are able to move on and use what they have learned throughout the rest of their lives. This is a good time for group members and leaders to look back on the year and think about all they have accomplished, whether that be passing on information to others, learning new life skills, or becoming closer with people they otherwise never may have met. It is understandable if people are upset during this time because all of the fond memories they may have with the group, but it is important to realize that this is not the end of the relationships that were formed and the bonds created will never be broken; once a group always a group.

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Freshman Application and Draft By: Charles Chirackal and Kaitlin Glick

One of the most important parts of Peer Leadership is the recruitment of freshmen, as they

are the foundation of and reason for the program. The freshmen application process started with creating posters, transitioned to recruiting students in the cafeteria, and then came to a close with selecting breakout groups. In order to advertise Peer Leadership, we designed posters in class and hung them around the school and in the cafeteria. The posters depicted how we felt about Peer Leadership and the school as a whole. Posters were used to get the freshmen excited and interested in the Peer Leadership program and show them how much fun we were going to have during breakouts throughout the year. The goal of these posters were to recruit as many freshmen as possible!!

Once the posters caught the interest of the freshmen, it was time for us to go into the cafeteria and start interacting with them. First, we simply went in during their lunch period a few times. We told the students about the program, answered any questions, and informed that we would be coming back again shortly with sign-up sheets. When we came back, we handed out applications to freshmen so that they could sign up for Peer Leadership and later get their group assignment. These papers asked for their names and the school that they went to for 8th grade, as well as some other personal questions. The peer leaders encourage every freshmen student to sign up, thus fully initiating our recruitment process. As we first entered the cafeteria to introduce ourselves and ask the freshmen to join the program, they were initially confused, yet excited. Some took the forms without hesitation and began to fill it out, while others either waited for us to come around or decided to see what was going on and then make their decision. It was very interesting to see how the freshmen would react to this invitation to the Peer Leadership program that many of them may not have known anything about. However, after a week of the peer leaders visiting the cafeteria and informing the freshmen of the program, nearly every freshmen student had signed up!!

After we had everyone’s applications, we then separated the forms into piles differentiating between girls/boys and Branchburg and Somerville students in order to make the groups as diverse as possible. This way, the freshmen could meet new classmates from either one of the towns and form new friendships. After being separated into piles, each group went up one at a time and grabbed a form from each pile, making the groups randomly. In order to aid the freshmen in this process, we asked them to write down two other friends whom they would like to be in a group with. The peer leaders sought to abide by their wishes and accommodated students where necessary to ensure comfort with the program. We made it so that each group had around eight to twelve freshmen per group with there being an equal number of boys and girls, thus concluding the draft process.

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BREAKOUT: What’s It All About? By: Kaeley Ipson, Eden Zaleski, Natalie Tews and Luke Genise

What is breakout?

Each week, the senior peer leader pairs run a breakout session for their individual freshmen groups. Breakout takes place every Thursday during lunch periods. Instead of going to our normal Peer Leadership class, and instead of the freshmen going to the cafeteria, the groups meet in separate classroom locations. During the breakout session, we engage the students in activities and discussion relating to subjects relevant to teenage life. We do this in hopes of encouraging the freshmen to make good decisions during the next few years of high school and beyond. How do we get our breakout groups? At the beginning of the school year, we were eager to begin participating in breakout, but first we needed to be assigned our groups. After already choosing our co-leaders during the Summer Retreat, we spent the first few weeks preparing to take on the role of being a peer leader. In October, when we were ready, we approached the freshmen class during their lunch period and encouraged them to join the Peer Leadership program. After collecting their applications to participate in the program, we divided the students up randomly, being careful to make sure there was an even distribution of genders, as well as residents of Somerville and Branchburg, in each group. What do we do in breakout? We do lots of different activities when we meet up each week. Usually the first few minutes of breakout is spent checking in with the freshmen as they eat lunch. This gives everyone a chance to share the highs and lows of their week with the group. After we check in, the co-leaders introduce the topic for the week to the freshmen and give them some background information about it. The rest of the breakout is spent engaged in activities and answering questions centered around the topic. Breakouts are activity-driven to make sure everyone is able to participate and become interested with the topic and develop skills in working together as a team. When there are only a couple minutes left, we close the breakout by reflecting on what we’ve learned and how we can apply it to our lives outside of Peer Leadership. What topics do we discuss? We discuss a variety of topics during breakout. Each week is dedicated to one specific topic that will possibly affect the freshmen’s lives at some point throughout high school. Some of the topics we talk about in Peer Leadership are friendship, internet safety, peer pressure, substance abuse, communication, rumors and gossip, stress and time management, self-esteem, eating disorders, depression and suicide, parent-teen relationships, heroes and role models, morals and values, and diversity. All of these involve real-life situations that we want to prepare our freshmen for. The topics we discuss are interconnected and relatable, which allows us to bridge the gap from week to week. What do we get out of breakout? As peer leaders, we prepare the freshmen for their high school careers. We help them acclimate into high school. The senior peer leaders learn how to be effective leaders and gain useful people skills and teaching strategies. This translates to the freshmen as they also learn people and

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group skills. Breakout allows us to inspire the freshmen to be the best students and people that they can be, which furthers our leadership ability. What relationships are formed in breakout? There are a few types of relationships that form in breakout. The relationship between the co-leaders is important because it sets up the relationship between the leaders and the freshmen. Co-leaders should be comfortable around each other and they should share the responsibilities of group facilitation. This builds trust, which will in turn build trust within the whole group. Friendships also form in breakout. The freshmen learn to get along with people that they may not normally talk to, which is an important life skill. The relationships that result from breakout are effective in holding the group together and bettering the lives of all the group members. What changes do we see in the groups throughout the year?

Since we are with the freshmen most of the year we get to see some great changes happen throughout the year. One major change that we see is the freshmen becoming more mature. In the beginning of the year, they are laughing when we bring up certain things. Then later in the year, we start bringing up these things again and they start to have serious discussions with the group. The next biggest change we see with the group is friendship. In the beginning they come in and they really don't know each other. Then we see throughout the year friendships grow and they last until school is over. Breakout groups become more cohesive throughout the year and our discussions become more impactful as more trust is built. What impact does breakout have on the freshmen? Peer Leadership has a positive impact on the freshmen. When they come in as freshmen, they have a group of same age peers and two seniors to talk to every Thursday about anything under the sun. Also, they get to learn things that are very important throughout the high school journey. Breakout allows the freshmen to get used to high school alongside peers who are going through the same thing. They receive advice and guidance from the seniors which they can take with them for many years to come. The freshmen will gain new friends, new skills, and a better understanding of what it is like to be students in our school through breakout.

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Haunted High School By: Katie Hegadorn, Kim Ferrara, Maranda Kania, and Lila Tiner

As the Halloween season approached here at Somerville High School, the three Peer Leadership classes took it upon themselves to collaborate and transform a bland math classroom into a spooky, spine-chilling cemetery walk through. Haunted High School is an annual event at Somerville High School where all the different clubs and sports come together to create a fun filled experience for all children and students who choose to attend. Going from Candyland to our very own candlelight cemetery, the scare levels varied for children of all ages. Our room was horrifying for younger children but amusing for other high school students. We wanted to be in the spirit of Halloween, but our main goal was to ensure everybody had a memorable time, including our peer leaders as they begin their final year of high school. The laughs and screams filled the school, making each room a new memory for the students to bring home. We were on the third floor (the scariest floor) and decided to go with the theme of a “candlelight cemetery walkthrough.” With help from a few of our peer leaders, we transformed a math class into a frightening graveyard. A few very talented peer leaders, Lila Tiner and Nicole Zangara, were kind enough to use their cosmetology skills to give everyone involved a makeover, but not the kind you may be thinking. Everyone participating was turned into a skeleton for the night, haunting the graveyard. We brought and made tombstones to put around the edge of the classroom, and spread bones out in the middle of the room along with some tombstones. When we turned the light out, our classroom was a very convincing graveyard. As kids walked through the tombs in small groups carrying candles (don’t worry they were battery operated), our skeletons came alive to scare everyone out of their cemetery. As peer leaders hung upside down off of desks, screams and laughs filled the room. The Somerville Peer Leaders successfully made our room a memorable experience for both the students and staff attending and the peer leaders doing the scaring.

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Middle Earth Outreach By: Joshua Nemeth and Kayla Vuoso

Middle Earth is a local organization made to foster youth relations within their community. Middle Earth does this by mentoring youth towards better decision making and ultimately gaining skills to succeed in school and work. Ultimately, they want to give these young adults a role model that would teach them about life skills, and showing respect and responsibility. Since Middle Earth provides such a unique benefit to the community, the Peer Leadership program thought it was a beneficial cause to sponsor because as peer leaders, we mentor new students that need guidance in their transition to high school. Two representatives from each period met in Mrs. Rastelli’s office to discuss how Somerville’s peer leaders would be able to contribute to the organization. The plan was to raise awareness of Middle Earth in the beginning of the week by going to homerooms and giving a summary of what the association does for local youth. Each period was assigned a floor and then each peer leader pair were assigned a couple rooms to explain Middle Earth’s purpose. It was well organized and thought out once the meeting was over. At this point, each period’s representatives were left to facilitate the rest of the plan going forward.

The next day, we relayed the information to our classmates as to what we needed to accomplish before tackling homerooms. First, we created posters to hang up in the halls and distribute to homerooms to hang up. These posters detailed when peer leaders were coming around to collect money and to wear jeans to show support. Second, each peer leader pair was assigned rooms to advertise the donation collection. As a class, we came up with a short summary of why we were doing this and what the money was being used for if students donated. Third, each pair needed to bring in a can or jar to use for collection. We went twice to the homerooms, once to make the students aware that we would be coming back to collect money and the next was when we came to collect. We went around on a Tuesday and handed out the fliers and explained we would be back Friday to collect money. When we went back Friday, most of the students were ready to donate because they were made aware of it previously. We received a ton of donations and successfully delivered the positive message that Middle Earth wanted us to share to our school community. When looking back on this outreach, it was a very rewarding experience for Peer Leadership. We were all able to come together as a group and raise money for an organization that mirrors what we do as peer leaders, as well as spread the word to the members of the Somerville community. This was a very beneficial program and the Peer Leadership members had a great time showing our support and we look forward to assisting them in the future.

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Green Dot Training By: Katelyn Haenny, Paige Morgan, Bea Tomale

As the ultimate role models of the school, Ms. DeLuca and Dr. Zurawiecki presented us

with Green Dot training. Green Dot training was an additional opportunity to create a further cohesive group while learning how we can make a positive difference in our communities. Green Dot, an organization built on the premise that we can measurably and systematically reduce violence within any given community, takes both the precautionary and the active stance on fighting against bullying and sexual assault. Although we have been educated about the prevention of bullying since our elementary school days, Green Dot has demonstrated that there’s even more to be learned.

Green Dot Training was a full day process. In the morning, peer leaders involved in training all met in the school library. Once divided into equal groups with four to five people per team, each group was to come up with a team name. From the beginning, peer leaders were encouraged to be creative and think out of the box, focusing not only on their views and opinions but the views and feelings of others. An interactive slideshow gave all peer leaders a chance to get involved, while becoming more educated on Green Dot, and “green dot points” for participation encouraged peer leaders to not only involve themselves but get a little competitive as well. Various activities tested where peer leaders stood on a variety of topics tracing back to bullying and sexual assault.

The peer leaders learned about the definition of power-based personal violence and how to recognize red dots, potential incidents of power-based personal violence. The training focused on three types of violence: bullying, sexual assault, and dating violence. We then learned about peer dynamics which is why we help in certain situations and why we don't help in other situations. We trained on promoting green dots, ways to prevent violence from occurring, in our school community. There are two types of green dots: proactive and reactive. Proactive is anything you do before violence occurs to spread the message that violence is not acceptable and everyone is expected to do their part to end violence. Reactive green dots are what we do when we see the potential for violence. They learned about 3 specific types of reactive green dots: 1) direct (directly approach the victim or aggressor), 2) delegate (get a friend or adult), and 3) distract.

Green Dot training was a fun opportunity that allowed the Peer Leadership program to become closer together in learning how to act on certain situations based on analysis. Because the Green Dot presentation was so interactive and required participation from everyone, all of the peer leaders have applied many of their lessons in breakouts throughout the year.

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Red Ribbon Day

By: Annabelle Madamba, Maddie Spolarich, Rob McTernan, & Elaina Murnane

The Red Ribbon Campaign is the nation’s largest drug and violence prevention program. The program has its own nationally recognized week from October 23 to October 31. The Peer Leadership program decided to spread the messages of the Red Ribbon Program by going to Van Derveer on November 21st. The peer leaders taught the second graders and the fourth graders about dreams and decision making. At first this may not seem like it relates to the mission of the Red Ribbon program, but it does. Teaching the students about dreams and about decision making will help them form good habits and goals. These good habits will carry the students through their life and will help keep them healthy and prevent drug abuse. The peer leaders decided to teach the second and fourth graders about dreams and decision making because they are not old enough to understand the dangers of drugs and violence. It is much more effective to plant the seed of having dreams and working for those dreams and let it grow into the prevention of drug abuse and violence.

For Red Ribbon Day, we prepared materials for the second and fourth graders a week ahead of time. We cut out clouds, lightning bolts, and suns for the fourth graders and butterflies with strings for the second graders. We also prepared by familiarizing ourselves with the curriculum for our activities. Finally, we split up into groups of six to seven for each of the classes that we would be visiting that day. At the beginning of the day, we went to do an activity with the fourth graders. We introduced ourselves and talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up. We then used the materials that we prepared ahead of time to portray this message. The kids wrote what they wanted to be on their suns and on the cloud, which represented life. Then, they wrote obstacles that would hinder them from achieving their goal on the lightning bolts and put them on their suns. After this activity, we discussed obstacles in their lives that could stop them from achieving their goal and how they could overcome them. The activity with the second graders involved being able to express their emotions and feel good about themselves in that they all possess admirable qualities. Each second grader was given a unique butterfly. What they had to do was give each other compliments and write them down on their butterfly. Then, they were able to walk around with their butterflies.

We learned from the 4th graders that they have big dreams at a young age. They also have plans on how to achieve them already. Sometimes they said that they wanted to be a professional athlete but they had a backup plan if that didn’t work out. So they were already thinking ahead to the fact that it might not all work out or that there could be things that stood in their way. With the 2nd graders we talked about their feelings and what each feeling looked like. We learned that some of them think that some emotions look the same as others. So with their compliments they told us the

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story behind each one and it ranged from small to big things. This showed us that even the little things left an impact on them and they care about it. When we met up with the fourth grade classes we talked about dreams and goals. Our dreams were similar to theirs, for example they had said how they wanted to become better athletes or have amazing grades, and we as peer leaders are striving for those exact things still to this day. We got personal connections with them, and realized that even though we are older that we are not too different from them. That realization made us acknowledge how important it is from an early age to have positive role models around you and to steer clear from negative things such as drugs and other unhealthy habits. We loved being able to have the opportunity to connect with the younger students for a day and we felt super confident that they will choose to live healthy lives for themselves in the long run.

For most of us, we felt nostalgic when going into VDV for Red Ribbon Day. Even if we had not attended the school, it felt almost surreal going back in time ten years for a little while to see the second and fourth graders. When we handed out the butterflies to them our faces lit up with smiles as did theirs. We loved spreading joy and helping them talk positively about each other with the new vocab words their teachers had given them.

Branchburg Central Middle School Skits By: Olivia Markowski, Brendan Marino, Sean Kunz & Zach Guberer

What skits did we do?

One of the most beneficial events that we took part in for Peer Leadership was the BCMS skits. For this event, we traveled to Branchburg Central Middle School to perform short skits for the students. There were multiple skits but one in particular was the skit that the 6th period class performed, which was a spin-off of Dr. Seuss’s Star Belly Sneetches. We portrayed ourselves as the sneetches, some of us had stars, the rest of us did not. At the beginning of the skit, the two groups were very divided. Those who had stars would not associate themselves with those without. Sneetches without stars desperately wanted them. However, the skit concluded with the two sides coming together and neglecting to recognize whether they were starred or not. The point

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of this skit was to show how two groups of people that seem divided are actually really similar, which is how it is in high school. Another Skit that was performed for the eighth graders was a group of students hanging out after school. We portrayed a group of Somerville students driving to a Branchburg students house; when they arrived, the students were visibly uncomfortable and unsure about these new kids. They started talking, and most of them found things in common with one another, and ended up getting along in the long run. This skit was meant to ease some of the Branchburg students’ nerves, as one thing that they worry about is how they mix with the other town. By showing that they are more alike than they think they are, will hopefully allow them to break down any barriers and create a more successful union in the fall.

What did the skits teach the students?

Both of the skits we performed were about teaching the students about the obstacles of high school. The Dr. Seuss skit showed that in the end we are all the same regardless of where we live, our ethnicity, or what sports we play. We wanted to show the students that they should not judge anyone before they know them, because there is nothing wrong with being friends with someone from another town or another race. However, from our own experience, we know that the students are usually uneasy about merging both towns into one high school. Our goal is to minimize their apprehension about coming into high school and fitting in, because it is a very accepting environment. We hope they took away the message that in the end we are all the same people, going through the same experiences. Similarly, the hangout skit allowed the students to realize they should not keep the school divided into two halves, they should all come together. This skit gives the same message as the previous one that everyone should be friends even though they come from different places. The main lesson is to always accept everyone regardless of our differences.

How did the skits relate to our Peer Leadership class?

The skits we performed to reflect the values we use in Peer Leadership. In our skits, we showed how all the students came together regardless of where they live. The peer leaders in our class all do different sports and clubs, come from different backgrounds, and have different interests, but we all come together every day to work on our leadership skills. As peer leaders, it is important that we accept everyone regardless of our differences. We act as role models for freshmen to follow, and if we show them that we accept all people, they will follow us and also become accepting of everyone. Performing these skits shows the students that an important quality of being a leader and role model is to be accepting of everyone.

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Peer Leadership Winter Retreat

By: Taylor Geiger, Alexis Ciarletta, Kelcey Sheeley & Michael Richardson Annually, those in Peer Leadership go away to the winter retreat held at Stony Acres in East

Stroudsburg. This year specifically, it was held on Valentine's Day, which was a delayed opening. Because of this, we lost two hours of team building time. Upon our late arrival, we placed our gear in the rooms designated for guys or girls. From there, we all gathered in the main dining room for our first activity, “Who Am I”. This activity was similar to Headbands where each student had the name of an actress, political figures, athletes etc. We went around asking questions in order to determine who was on our back. After everyone had discovered who their person was the entire group sat in a circle and described whether or not their person was a role model. This discussion allowed the group to define overall characteristics of role models that include decisive, uplifting, responsible and respectful. We were able to take these characteristics and bring them to the freshmen in a later breakout. Probably everyone’s favorite activity of the entire two days was building bridges which taught us about different leadership styles. The overall group was split into 6 mini groups who competed in a building bridge competition. The groups had leaders who were instructed to use different leadership styles and complete a bridge out of straws and pushpins. The competitive side of people came out and the effort was all in to build the best bridge. At the conclusion of this activity the entire group discussed how the different leadership styles worked and produced different bridges. We took this information and brought it home to our breakouts.

After the afternoon activities the advisors needed to prepare dinner and have an activity to occupy us at the same time. We attempted an escape room game. The large group split into four smaller groups and started trying to crack the code. About 5 minutes into the game we ran into a road block. One team was 100% positive that they had deciphered their puzzle but unfortunately, the code could not be solved for every team simultaneously. The game was constructed to be solved in order and the way we were inputting the codes gave no path to success. So, even though the code may have been right, the individual teams were not able to figure it out. Although the activity itself may have been a bust, the teams ended up collaborating together instead of against each other to win in time. It showed that we were comfortable with each other and able to put away the competitive side in order to achieve a common goal.

On the night of the retreat, we gathered our large group of outstanding individuals of all different hobbies and interests and sat around a warm campfire. It was not just any old campfire, this campfire was equipped with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers for the complete retreat late night snack. The mood was not only lightened by the tasty treat but with multiple students leading campfire chants and songs that everyone joined in singing. The fire was blazing and the spirits were high! The bonding experience was like no other with all of our fellow senior classmates.

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In the morning we packed everything up and cleaned the cabin till it was spotless. Before hopping on the bus we completed one final activity. We stood in a circle and grabbed the hands of those on both sides of us. One person on the end started the line and began to spiral the group bringing everyone closer by each step. At the end arms were spread as far as possible and the large group was squeezed in tight as “one big hug”. This huge hug showed how much we grew over the first half of the year and how strong our bond had become. It was a great way to start the second half of the year in Peer Leadership.

Freshmen Field Day By: Juan Galindo, Tyler Leeds, James Liu, and Matt Monaco

Field Day has always been a difficult part of Peer Leadership to pull off. To create a

substantial, competitive, and fun competition within an 80-minute time period is never easy. This was especially clear to us as during our freshman year, Field Day was underwhelming to say the least. There were very few planned events, individual groups did little to promote team spirit, and most students abandoned their teams within minutes to join their friends.

This year we were determined to craft a better Field Day. We wanted an event that would not only be a fun way for the kids (and peer leaders) to express their competitive spirit, but that would also provide a chance to judge the effectiveness of our teaching methods in instilling values such as respect and acceptance.

Planning for Field Day began a few weeks before the event when we decided what events we wanted to do. Because of the severe space, time, and material restrictions, we were forced to pick events that were easy to set up and took relatively little time. After deciding on a few activities, we

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quickly came up with a schedule and materials list. Peer Leaders worked with their groups to decide on colors and team names and design team outfits.

The day of, each Peer Leadership period had a third of a field; we used our space by

reserving a third of the field for trench ball, two-thirds for capture the flag, a strip for tug of war, and a patch of grass for water balloon toss. Each group played each game once and the event was concluded with a set of relays.

When the time finally came to go outside, the energy was palpable. It was wonderful to see how genuinely excited a lot of the kids were to compete with each other in the various competitions. Some teams began theatrically stretching. Others engaged in friendly banter and competitive talk. Even before the competition had begun, the huge increase in team spirit alone was already shaping field day up to be better than it had been in our year.

Ten minutes were allotted for each activity and everything ran very smoothly. While some

teams were more successful than others in competition, almost everyone was smiling and having a good time throughout the competitions. In addition, there were almost no problems getting the freshmen to do their assigned activities and incidents of unsportsmanlike language or conduct were practically nonexistent. While obviously I cannot attribute this entirely to their participation in the Peer Leadership program, I don’t believe it is unreasonable to say that their participation in the program contributed to the surprising lack of issues.

It’s impossible to cram a true field day into two periods worth of time. Ideally, a field day would be a full day but I think that, within our constraints, we created the best possible experience for the freshmen that they will remember in a very positive light for years to come. From decorating shirts with my kids, to getting destroyed in Tug-of-War, to catching the winning water balloon toss, I know that I certainly will remember many of my experiences from this event.